Perspective is crucial for good writing and critiques

I formed a local writers group so I could talk shop with fellow writers. But critiquing each other's work is not part of our group's function. Why? Because I believe the best crits come from truly objective perspectives. It's hard to be objective and honest when crits are given in person—for the writer as well as the critter. It can be downright uncomfortable, and often unproductive. And slow-going.

Which is why I love and appreciate the Critique Circle site so much. It provides it all: a truly objective look at my work from multiple people; a place to talk shop and industry happenings; a place to get advice and a genuine community. And it's free! There are upgrades available at a nominal cost if the member wants the extra bells and whistles. I've checked out several on-line crit sites, and CC is by far the best due to the way they've set the site up. Hands-down, no contest, the best.

I highly recommend participating on CC to any writer, no matter where they are at on the journey. If you are well past the need to have your work critiqued, good for you! Maybe you've got a contract and a New York editor to do your crits. If that's the case, CC needs you. We want you. Emerging writers need experienced industry advice and strong crits on our submittals. You might even get some ideas and perspective on your own work without submitting anything. At the very least, you will have helped another writer that day.

What is Critique Circle all about?

Critique Circle is an online writing workshop for all authors, whether they write literary fiction, genre fiction, articles or short stories. Our purpose is to provide a place for writers to give and receive feedback on their work, and thereby learn from one another. The Critique Circle also includes forums as well as helpful writing tools for manuscript progress, submission tracking, character generation and more.

Workshops can be an invaluable resource to writers as they are a great way to get feedback and suggestions on their manuscripts, as well as providing a social forum for interaction with other writers. Online workshops such as the Critique Circle have the added advantage of being accessible at any time and from any location regardless of geography.

Membership to the Critique Circle is free and we welcome everyone interested in using an online forum to improve their writing skills while helping others improve theirs. Critique Circle is open to all genres, including science-fiction, fantasy, romance, children's novels, horror and suspense.

We've endeavored to make Critique Circle as writer-friendly and secure as possible. People have full control over their submissions, including the ability to either hide them from all other users or delete them at any time. People can also choose to have the stories only visible to those who regularly critique, or those who have critted in the past month. We believe this feature will make people feel more secure about using the critique forum.

Those supporting the Critique Circle also have the option to form their own private critique groups, integrated into the global critique system.

Some statistics on Critique Circle

During the last 7 days 178 stories have been submitted totalling 470,956 words.

During the last 7 days 933 critiques have been submitted totalling 509,578 words.